The new best ever Complan is significantly better in taste and boasts of high quantity of best quality protein, promoted by none other than former skipper Sourav Ganguly

Its maiden experience of celebrity brand endorsement with ‘Big B’ landed the company in a legal quagmire as some social activists moved the court alleging that the 45 second ad had promoted the belief in ghosts and the use of black magic to ward them off. Well, that was in 2014 and for the last four years, Kraft Heinz India stayed away from celebrity endorsement for its iconic malt food drink brand- Complan.

Four years down the road and six months after the company relaunched Complan with new and improved formulations, the company seems to have left the somewhat nightmarish experience with ‘Taaqat Ka Bhoot’ long behind it. Heinz India Pvt Ltd, an arm of the global food company KraftHeinz Company, is now well set for a complete brand make-over by making Complan better on the top two consumer drivers of the category -- taste and nutrition. The company has lined up an ambitious plan to grow Complan to a Rs 1500 crore-plus brand by 2020-21 from the current level of nearly Rs 700 crore.

The new recipe is enriched with 34 pro-immunity nutrients like iron and calcium and one glass of Complan in milk has protein equivalent to two glasses of milk. The new best ever Complan is significantly better on taste (confirmed by blind testing across India) & has significantly high quantity of the best quality protein, top company officials claimed.

Interestingly, known to be an uncompromising leader, former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly, who during his long and glorious cricketing stint, was seen, many a times, stepping out to hit a sixer and was never willing to settle for less, has now padded up to come on to the crease on a new mission- advising kids and youngsters not to settle for less, when it comes to protein intake. Heinz India has roped in Ganguly to roll out a new campaign initiative with the slogan: ‘Kom Protein Cholbe Na’ (Say ‘No’ to Less Protein). Ganguly has been roped in for three years to boost one of the key brands of the world’s fifth largest food and beverage company.

It would be preaching what he practiced for Ganguly, who himself happened to be a ‘Complan Boy’ in his growing up days and is now a ‘concerned and caring father’ of a growing up daughter.

Complan’s association with the cricketing legend is nothing new. Last year the brand had teamed up with the 70 episodes popular reality show: Dadagiri on Zee Bangla, hosted by Ganguly, as the presenting sponsor of Dadagiri. That’s not all. On Independence Day special episodes of Dadagiri, Ganguly unveiled the new pack of Complan and sprung a surprise for the guests and the contestants with a special treat. They received a special gift hamper from Complan that contained the new best ever Complan, a 2-year supply of Complan along with health insurance for a child for 2 years. Therefore, roping in Ganguly as the brand ambassador has just been the logical next step.

The new campaign and initiative coincided with the company’s overall aggressive drive to reach a sustained double-digit market share nationally for the health drink. The health drink, one of the major brands in the Rs 6,000 crore milk food drinks (MFD) category in the country, has already registered a healthy growth since its re-launch about six months ago, said Heinz India managing director Sankalp Potbhare.

West Bengal and Tamil Nadu being the two major states accounting for one-third of the market, the company thought it fit to start the new campaign from Bengal. More so because Complan already has a 15 per cent market share in the state and its market share has increased by 2.5 per cent in the state since the relaunch. The same campaign and initiative will eventually be rolled out across the country. And if need be, the company is open to involving more faces, more icons, said the MD, adding that the company was keen on consolidating its existing product portfolio before launching new global brands like Planters in India.

Potbhare said that their mission and thrust of this new initiative is to create awareness and make consumers know their requirements and what they are having (how much protein intake is happening). The packaging itself clearly mentions details of the composition and one can actually make a comparison with other similar products available in the market, he said. Besides Complan, the MFD segment in the country is currently dominated by GSK’s Horlicks, Mondelez International’s Cadbury Bournvita and GSK’s Boost. Interestingly GSK has reportedly evinced interest in selling its budding brand and there are indications that Kraft Heinz could be a possible contender. However, Kraft Heinz officials have all along been tightlipped on this.